ISOLATED without phones and the internet since May 14, bewildered residents have questioned why it can take more than three months to fix a cable.
When a large tree crashed down in Rectory Lane, Woodmansterne, in the early hours of May 14, homes escaped damage – but the telephone line didn't.
Residents thought BT would fix it within three days, but say it took three weeks before a form requesting a traffic survey was sent to Surrey County Council.
They were then told it could take up to another three months for a temporary road closure to be authorised, so that an engineer could safely fix the problem.
Now, after residents contacted this paper, that process has been fast-tracked and workmen are due to close the road and carry out the repair today (Thursday), 30 days after the residents re-entered the communication dark ages.
Roland Daniells, 45, a public relations consultant, said: "It is one cable that has been snapped. One engineer said it would take 40 minutes to fix.
"We live within the M25 in one of the leading economies in the world, and a man can't go up a ladder without three months of health and safety checks, it is utterly ridiculous.
"We are all getting used to going to various coffee shops to try and log on to a BT hotspot.
"I've resorted to working in my car on street corners. One neighbour, who can't take confidential papers outside, has lost £4,000 in the first month alone."
BT spokesman Ian Read said: "We have been working with the local authorities to gain permission to close the road and install traffic lights.
"Our teams have had a lot of work and as a result some repairs have been delayed. This job is complex and time consuming, and we are working to provide service to customers as soon as possible. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience."
